The days passed by uneventfully until Thursday arrived.
After attending a first-year lecture with Karen and having lunch with the Professor, I found myself licking my lips.
It felt strange to eat something yet not feel full. Maybe my body was getting used to it, so I should try eating until I'm full. Though that wasn't possible, my brain definitely registered that peculiar sensation.
After lunch, the Professor returned and immersed himself in research again. Not wanting to disturb his intense focus, I kept my distance and sat quietly.
Though I had my phone, I couldn't always use voice messages since it depended on the environment. I didn't want to break his concentration when he was focused like this.
So I moved my chair near the window.
Being small, I ended up dragging the chair across the floor. The scraping sound made me feel self-conscious, wondering if it bothered the Professor.
"Don't lean too far out the window."
"...Yes, sir."
I nodded.
He must have been watching what I was doing. He seemed concerned I might fall out since I'd placed the chair close to the window.
Heeding his warning, I straightened up carefully. I knelt on the chair and gazed out the window, my eyes sparkling at what I thought were students returning from lunch.
But I soon realized I was mistaken.
They were wearing either casual clothes or plain uniforms. They must be Academy professors or Institute Students, and judging by the bags in their hands, they weren't returning from lunch but carrying snacks from a convenience store.
Poor Institute Students.
Still, I hoped they would work hard, since they could become professors in four years. Well, not everyone attending the Institute wants to become a professor, but I genuinely wished for them to achieve whatever goals they had.
As I was silently cheering them on, there was a knock at the research lab door.
Knock knock. I quickly turned my head toward the sound. The Professor also looked up at the visitor's announcement.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Sera..."
I hopped down from the chair as Sera peeked her head in.
"Sera!"
"Hi, Urr~"
When I approached Sera excitedly, she smiled happily and waved at me. I waved back at her the same way.
"What's up? Are you here to take Urr?"
"Oh, no, it's just that I brought a gift for Urr."
In response to the Professor's question, Sera smiled wryly and opened the door wide. As she entered, I could see she was carrying a box.
As the large box was placed on the table, I stared at it curiously, and the Professor, apparently also intrigued, sidled up next to me.
"A gift for Urr?"
"Yes, we all bought it together. Somehow it ended up feeling like our Study Group's first team outfit."
The pajama conversation that came up on Tuesday somehow evolved with Aria and Karen joining in, resulting in matching outfits for the four of us.
Do Study Groups usually get matching outfits? Having something like that would create a sense of unity. That's what I thought. But then again, I wouldn't know since I've never been in a Study Group before.
But these clothes aren't really related to Study Group uniforms anyway.
"Ta-da~"
Sera's unboxing revealed the clothes inside. Packaged in plastic was a high-quality pajama set.
It seemed a bit odd to call this a Study Group uniform. Of course, she only said it gave that feeling, so I couldn't argue, but I thought it would be hard to concentrate on studying while wearing this.
It felt more like a pajama party than a Study Group. It made me want to chat and eat snacks.
I stared blankly. The Professor tilted his head behind me.
"A cat?"
"Yes, Urr kind of looks like a cat, don't you think?"
At Sera's words, the Professor gazed at me intently.
I didn't think of myself as cat-like, but when others said so, I wondered if maybe I was.
Am I just easily influenced?
The Professor's gaze, which had been examining the animal pajamas, was now fixed on me. As he stared, I looked back at him. Eventually, he nodded.
"There is a bit of that feeling. Except for not taking naps."
The Professor patted my head.
Before, I used to wonder why he touched my head, but as time passed, I grew accustomed to the sensation and found it calming. As I closed my eyes to feel the touch, I felt something on my chin.
"Ohhh, like this."
I opened my eyes with a start at Sera's exclamation. She had placed her hand under my chin and was making a tickling motion.
Though I wasn't particularly ticklish there, I knew that wasn't her intention, so my eyes narrowed slightly.
"Sera, what are you doing...?"
"All cats do this, right? When you pet their heads, they close their eyes and lift their chin a bit."
"Urr really is like a feline."
The Professor responded with a chuckle to her admiring voice.
With the Professor behind me and Sera in front, I wondered what to do. I could have shaken my head to brush off their hands, but I didn't.
It wasn't particularly uncomfortable.
Sera removed her hand and cleared her throat.
"Ahem, anyway, this is sized to fit Urr."
"Is Sera a mouse?"
"Yes, a mouse. Cute, right?"
Another outfit was taken out of the box. Noticeably larger than mine, it was grayish in color.
Mine had the distinct look of a common black street cat.
"Urr, want to try it on?"
At Sera's suggestion, I hesitantly reached out.
"Try it on..."
I unwrapped the packaging and looked at the pajamas inside. I seriously wondered if it was appropriate to wear something like this in a research lab.
As I frowned and made a small groan, the Professor leaned down.
"You can try it on. Need help?"
"Um..."
Looking back and forth between the Professor and Sera, I clutched the clothes tightly. The soft fabric felt plush against my body.
It didn't look too warm. Whether it was designed for the approaching summer or not, despite having long sleeves, it was thin enough to be comfortable in an air-conditioned room.
Still, the question of wearing this in the research lab remained. As I held it absentmindedly, I felt the Professor's hands gently lifting my jacket.
My shoulders suddenly felt lighter.
"Come on, let's get your arms out."
At the Professor's words, I removed my arms as if in a trance and stared at him. It could go either way, but it seemed the Professor wanted to see me in the outfit and was encouraging me to change.
As I stared at him, he smiled wryly.
"Since you received the gift, we should make sure it fits."
"...That's right! If it's too big, we'll need to exchange it for a smaller one."
Sera chimed in, taking the items from my hands.
I thought they were from different departments, but they seemed to be in sync. Do third-year students become friendly with various professors, like having a minor?
Many thoughts crossed my mind.
The research lab felt like it had turned into a changing room. I was embarrassed to undress with the Professor there, let alone Sera, but before I knew it, I was quickly changed into the outfit.
When I came to my senses, I was wearing the complete animal pajama set.
"...!"
My eyes widened as I looked in the mirror Sera held up.
To be honest, I wasn't sure what to think. Other than the outfit being cute, there wasn't anything particularly novel about it, so I tilted my head in confusion.
The long zipper on the back seemed inconvenient, but then again, as a Demon God, it wasn't really a problem for me. The only advantage that stood out was the freedom of movement it allowed.
I twisted my body this way and that, trying to see parts that weren't easily visible, when the Professor clapped.
"It suits you!"
"Shouldn't it be bigger...?"
As I tilted my head questioningly, Sera was aghast.
"No way! The size is perfect for you, Urr. You're so cute! Say 'meow'!"
It was hard to keep up with Sera's enthusiasm. I made a confused sound and turned my head. The Professor just stared at me silently.
A black cat. Without a word, the Professor put the hood on me. When I placed my hands on my head, I felt something soft—were those ears?
"That's... embarrassing."
As I fidgeted, I shook my head at Sera's words. But Sera didn't seem to care and took out her phone to snap a picture of me.
"Eh, eh...?"
"Professor, what do you think? Doesn't it suit her?"
The Professor nodded.
Perhaps because the age difference wasn't as extreme as I thought, they seemed to get along well in certain ways.
As Sera continued taking photos, the Professor also took out his phone and started snapping pictures.
I didn't know how to pose properly and just stood there awkwardly, but for some reason, they kept taking pictures.
The angle was the same, and my pose didn't change, so I wondered why they needed so many shots.
It was truly puzzling.
"Ah, I want to have a pajama party. Professor... I can't take Urr home, can I?"
"That would be difficult. After all, she is a Demon God."
"That's too bad. I really want to take Urr with me."
Sera expressed her disappointment in front of the Professor. Meanwhile, her hands were busy as she brought her phone close to my face.
"Aren't you too close?"
"I want to use it as my profile picture."
At Sera's smile and giggle, I hesitated.
"V-Victory."
It was embarrassing knowing she'd use it as a profile picture. But if she was going to use it anyway, I thought a natural expression would be less embarrassing than an awkward one, so I lifted the corners of my mouth.